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Abstract:

An apparatus (and related method) coordinates wireless communication
operations for coexisted wireless communication modules. The apparatus
includes a packet traffic arbitration (PTA) module coupled between a
first wireless communication module and a second wireless communication
module, granting the first request requesting for a first wireless
communication operation with a first priority in a first time period from
the first wireless communication module, receiving a second request
requesting for a second wireless communication operation with a second
priority from the second wireless communication module when the granted
first wireless communication operation is not finished. In operation, the
first wireless communication operation interferes with the second
wireless communication operation, the PTA module granting the second
request and informing the first wireless communication module to take
back the granted first request when the second priority is higher than
the first priority.

Claims:

1. An apparatus for coordinating wireless communication operations for
coexisted wireless communication modules, comprising: a packet traffic
arbitration (PTA) module coupled between a first wireless communication
module and a second wireless communication module, granting the first
request requesting for a first wireless communication operation with a
first priority in a first time period from the first wireless
communication module, receiving a second request requesting for a second
wireless communication operation with a second priority from the second
wireless communication module when the granted first wireless
communication operation is not finished, wherein the first wireless
communication operation interferes with the second wireless communication
operation, the PTA module granting the second request and informing the
first wireless communication module to take back the granted first
request when the second priority is higher than the first priority.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the first
wireless communication module receiving a signal indicating that the
first granted request is taken back by the PTA module before the first
wireless communication operation finishes, and immediately stopping the
first wireless communication operation.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the first
wireless communication module receiving a signal indicating that the
first granted request is taken back by the PTA module before the first
wireless communication operation finishes, and immediately stopping the
unfinished first wireless communication operation when the first wireless
communication operation is a transmission (TX) operation.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first wireless
communication module continues to perform the unfinished first wireless
communication operation when the first wireless communication operation
is a reception (RX) operation.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the first and
second wireless communication operations is a transmission (TX) operation
and the other is a reception (RX) operation, the first request further
comprises information regarding a first power level for the first
wireless communication operation, the second request further comprises
information regarding a second power level for the second wireless
communication operation, and the PTA module further determines that the
first wireless communication operation does not interfere with the second
wireless communication operation when the first time period overlaps with
the second time period, the TX operation is lower than a first value, and
the RX operation is higher than a second value.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the first and second
wireless communication operations is a transmission (TX) operation and
the other is a reception (RX) operation, the first request further
comprises information regarding a first power level for the first
wireless communication operation and in which a first frequency band the
first wireless communication operation performs, the second request
further comprises information regarding a second power level for the
second wireless communication operation and in which a second frequency
band the second wireless communication operation performs, and the PTA
module further determines that the first wireless communication operation
does not interfere with the second wireless communication operation when
the first time period overlaps with the second time period, the TX
operation is lower than a first value, the RX operation is higher than a
second value, and the first frequency band separates from the second
frequency band by a third value.

7. A method for coordinating wireless communication operations for
coexisted wireless communication modules, comprising: granting the first
request requesting for a first wireless communication operation with a
first priority in a first time period from a first wireless communication
module; receiving a second request requesting for a second wireless
communication operation with a second priority from a second wireless
communication module when the granted first wireless communication
operation is not finished, wherein the first wireless communication
operation interferes with the second wireless communication operation;
and granting the second request and informing the first wireless
communication module to take back the granted first request when the
second priority is higher than the first priority.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first wireless
communication module receives a signal indicating that the first granted
request is taken back by the PTA module before the first wireless
communication operation finishes, and immediately stops the first
wireless communication operation.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first wireless
communication module receives a signal indicating that the first granted
request is taken back by the PTA module before the first wireless
communication operation finishes, and immediately stops the unfinished
first wireless communication operation when the first wireless
communication operation is a transmission (TX) operation.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first wireless
communication module continues to perform the unfinished first wireless
communication operation when the first wireless communication operation
is a reception (RX) operation

11. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein one of the first and second
wireless communication operations is a transmission (TX) operation and
the other is a reception (RX) operation, the first request further
comprises information regarding a first power level for the first
wireless communication operation, the second request further comprises
information regarding a second power level for the second wireless
communication operation, the method further comprising: determining that
the first wireless communication operation does not interfere with the
second wireless communication operation when the first time period
overlaps with the second time period, the TX operation is lower than a
first value, and the RX operation is higher than a second value.

12. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein one of the first and second
wireless communication operations is a transmission (TX) operation and
the other is a reception (RX) operation, the first request further
comprises information regarding a first power level for the first
wireless communication operation and in which a first frequency band the
first wireless communication operation performs, the second request
further comprises information regarding a second power level for the
second wireless communication operation and in which a second frequency
band the second wireless communication operation performs, the method
further comprising: determining that the first wireless communication
operation does not interfere with the second wireless communication
operation when the first time period overlaps with the second time
period, the TX operation is lower than a first value, the RX operation is
higher than a second value, and the first frequency band separates from
the second frequency band by a third value.

Description:

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] The present application is a Continuation Application of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 12/489,588, which was filed on Jun. 23, 2009,
which is all incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The invention relates generally to a Packet Traffic Arbitration
(PTA) method and an apparatus using the method, and more particularly, to
an apparatus that uses the PTA method for coordinating the operation
among a plurality of wireless communication modules thereof.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] In a wireless communication mechanism, a PTA request for TX/RX
(transmission/reception) operation is sent for arbitration to determine
whether the PTA request should be granted. With the development of
wireless communication technology, a modern mobile device may be provided
with more than one wireless communication service, such as a Bluetooth,
Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave
Access (WiMAX) wireless communication service. In this regard, the
overlapping or adjacent operating frequency band among the different
wireless communication services causes transmission performances thereof
to degrade. Table 1 below shows the operating frequency band for a WiMAX,
WiFi and Bluetooth wireless communication service.

[0006] Thus, the coordination among different wireless communication
services has become an important issue.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] An embodiment of the invention discloses an apparatus comprising a
first wireless communication module, a second wireless communication
module and a packet traffic arbitration (PTA) module. The first wireless
communication module issues a first request for a first transmission or
reception (TX or RX) operation in a first time period, wherein the first
request comprises information regarding a first power level for
performing the first TX or RX operation. The second wireless
communication module issues a second request for a second TX or RX
operation in a second time period, wherein the second request comprises
information regarding a second power level for performing the second TX
or RX operation. The packet traffic arbitration (PTA) module is coupled
between the first wireless communication module and the second wireless
communication module, receives the first request from the first wireless
communication module and the second request from the second wireless
communication module, and grants one or both of the first request and the
second request according to the first power level and the second power
level when the first time period is overlapped with the second time
period.

[0008] Furthermore, an embodiment of the invention discloses a method for
responding to grant and rejection signals issued by a packet traffic
arbitrator (PTA) module, performed by a wireless communication module of
an apparatus. The method comprises receiving a grant signal in response
to a previously issued request for requesting the PTA module for
performing a wireless communication operation, receiving a signal
indicating that the granted request is rejected by the PTA module before
the wireless communication operation finishes, and immediately stopping
the wireless communication operation.

[0009] An embodiment of the invention also discloses an apparatus
comprising a first wireless communication module, a second wireless
communication module and a PTA module. The first wireless communication
module issues a first request for a first transmission or reception (TX
or RX) operation in a first time period, wherein the first request
further comprises information regarding a second time period for
performing the next of the first TX or RX operation, the second wireless
communication module issues a second request for a second TX or RX
operation in a third time period overlapping with the second time period
after the first RX or RX operation is finished. The PTA module is coupled
to the first and second wireless communication modules, determining
whether to grant or reject the second request according to information
carried by the first and second requests.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The invention can be more fully understood by reading the
subsequent detailed description and examples with references made to the
accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0011] FIG. 1 shows a diagram of an apparatus using a PTA module for
coordinating the operation among different wireless communication
services such as a WiMAX, WiFi and Bluetooth wireless communication
service according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0012] FIG. 2A shows a PTA request configuration according to an
embodiment of the invention;

[0013] FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating periodical TX/RX operations;

[0014] FIG. 3A shows a process of a PTA module granting a PTA request
according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0015]FIG. 3B shows a process of a PTA module rejecting a PTA request
according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0016] FIGS. 3C and 3D shows a process of a PTA module taking back a
granted PTA request when granting a newly coming PTA request according to
an embodiment of the invention;

[0017] FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of a PTA request arbitration performed by
a PTA module according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0018] FIG. 5 shows a flowchart performed by a wireless communication
module for performing the TX/RX operation in response to reply messages
from a PTA module according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0019] FIG. 6A-1 shows a diagram of an exemplary operation conflict
between a Bluetooth PTA request and a WiMAX PTA request according to an
embodiment of the invention;

[0020] FIG. 6A-2 shows a proposed solution for solving the operation
conflict between a Bluetooth and a WiMAX PTA requests according to an
embodiment of the invention;

[0021] FIG. 6B-1 shows a diagram of an exemplary operation conflict among
a Bluetooth PTA request, a WiMAX PTA request and a WiFi PTA request
according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0022] FIG. 6B-2 shows a proposed solution for solving the operation
conflict among the Bluetooth, WiMAX and WiFi PTA requests according to an
embodiment of the invention;

[0023] FIG. 6C-1 shows a diagram of another exemplary operation conflict
between a Bluetooth PTA request and a WiMAX PTA request according to an
embodiment of the invention;

[0024] FIG. 6C-2 shows a proposed solution for solving the operation
conflict between the Bluetooth and WiMAX PTA requests according to an
embodiment of the invention;

[0025] FIG. 6D-1 shows a diagram of an exemplary operation between a WiMAX
PTA request and a WiFi PTA request according to an embodiment of the
invention;

[0026] FIG. 6D-2 shows a diagram of a granted simultaneous operation
between a WiMAX PTA request and a WiFi PTA requests according to an
embodiment of the invention; and

[0027]FIG. 7 shows a diagram of a PTA module rejecting a WiFi PTA request
according to an interval information of a Bluetooth PTA request.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] The following description is of the best-contemplated mode of
carrying out the invention. This description is made for the purpose of
illustrating the general principles of the invention and should not be
taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the invention is best determined
by reference to the appended claims.

[0029] FIG. 1 shows a diagram of an apparatus using a PTA module for
coordinating the operation among different wireless communication
services such as a WiMAX, WiFi and Bluetooth wireless communication
service according to an embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 1, the
apparatus 10 comprises a WiMAX module 11 implemented based on the
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 standard,
a WiFi module 13 implemented based on the IEEE 802.11 standard, a
Bluetooth module 15, and a PTA module 17. The PTA module 17 handles the
PTA requests issued from the WiMAX module 11, the WiFi module 13 and the
Bluetooth module 15, and determines which PTA request is granted. Note
that, those skilled in the art may realize the WiMAX, WiFi and Bluetooth
modules 11, 13 and 15 sharing two antennas or less.

[0030] FIG. 2A shows a PTA request configuration according to an
embodiment of the invention. A PTA request may comprise 8 fields: Start
(1 bit) 21, TX/RX (1 bit) 22, Local Priority (N1 bits) 23, Band
Information (N2 bits) 24, TX/RX Power Level (N3 bits) 25, Start Time (N4
bits) 26, Duration (N5 bits) 27 and Interval (N6 bits) 28. The Start
field 21 indicates the initialization of a PTA request, which is always
set as 1. The TX/RX field 22 indicates that the PTA request is a TX or RX
operation. If the bit is set as 0, for example, it indicates a TX
operation and vice versa. The Local Priority field 23 indicates the local
priority of the PTA request, which is further mapped into a global
priority. The PTA module 17 uses the global priority information to
determine which PTA request is granted. The local priority level of
representative WiMAX packets is categorized as:

[0037] In addition, the local priority level of representative WiFi
packets is categorized as:

[0038] (1) Level 0: Beacon packets, which has the highest priority.

[0039] (2) Level 1: other packets.

[0040] The local priority of different type of packets for WiMAX,
Bluetooth and WiFi is then mapped into a global priority table, which may
be stored in a non-volatile memory or storage device of the PTA module
17, as shown in Table 2:

In another application, the above table may be adjusted to set the global
priority 0 to a Tx or Rx operation for the Bluetooth High Priority
Packets; the global priority 1 to a Tx or Rx operation for the WiMAX
MAPs; and the global priority 2 to an Tx or Rx operation for the WiFi
Beacon Packets. In still another application, the above table may be
adjusted to set the global priority 0 to a Tx or Rx operation for the
Bluetooth High Priority Packets; the global priority 1 to a Tx or Rx
operation for the WiFi Beacon Packets; and the global priority 2 to a Tx
or Rx operation for the WiMAX MAPs.

[0041] Referring back to FIG. 2, the Band Information field 24 indicates
the band information index setting for a wireless communication service.
The band information for WiMAX, Bluetooth and WiFi, which may be stored
in a non-volatile memory or storage device of the PTA module 17, are
shown in the following Tables 3-1 to 3-3 respectively:

[0042] As shown in Table 3-1, the number of WiMAX bands is 21. Therefore,
the required length of the Band Information field is 5 bits. Similarly,
referring to Tables 3-2 and 3-3, the required lengths of Bluetooth and
WiFi bands are 7 and 4 bits, respectively.

[0043] Referring to FIG. 2, for a TX operation PTA request, the TX/RX
Power Level field 25 indicates the TX power level setting index.
Similarly, for an RX operation PTA request, the TX/RX Power Level field
25 indicates the RX power level setting index. The power level
information for WiMAX, Bluetooth and WiFi are shown in the following
Table 4:

[0044] FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating periodical TX/RX operations.
Together with FIG. 2A, for a PTA request, the Start Time field 26
indicates a time period between the start of the TX/RX operation and the
issuance time of the PTA request t21 to notify the PTA module when
will be the requested TX/RX operation started. The Duration field 27
indicates the time duration requiring for the requested TX/RX operation
t22. The Interval field 28 indicates a time period between the start
of the next TX/RX operation and the issuance time of the PTA request
t23 to notify the PTA module when will be the next TX/RX operation
started if the requested TX/RX operation is periodically occurred. The
time duration required for the next TX/RX operation may be the same as
the currently requested TX/RX operation. The Interval field 28 is zero if
the requested TX/RX operation is not periodically occurred.

[0045] As stated above, the PTA module 17 handles the PTA requests from
the WiMAX module 11, the WiFi module 13 and the Bluetooth module 15, and
determines whether to grant the PTA requests. There are three possible
scenarios that may evolve:

[0046] (1) The PTA module 17 may determine that there is no operation
conflict between the PTA requests in a forthcoming time period.
Therefore, the PTA module 17 grants all PTA requests. In this case,
referring to FIG. 3A, the PTA module 17 may set the PTA signal as "1" (or
logic high) to the granted modules, denoted as 32, following the Guard
Time 31 until the TX/RX operation is finished.

[0047] (2) The PTA module 17 may determine that there is an operation
conflict between the PTA requests in a forthcoming time period.
Therefore, the PTA module 17 determines which PTA request is granted and
which PTA request or requests is or are rejected. In this case, referring
to FIG. 3B, for the PTA request that is rejected, the PTA module 17 may
set the PTA signal as "0" (or logic low) to the rejected module(s) for 2
μs long, denoted as 33, following the Guard Time 31. In response to
the rejection, if the rejected PTA request is for TX operation, the
requesting wireless communication module (such as WiMAX module 11, the
WiFi module 13 or the Bluetooth module 15) does not perform the TX
operation. If the rejected PTA request is for RX operation, the
requesting wireless communication module can freely decide whether to
perform the RX operation. This is because the TX operation of the
rejected PTA request may affect another granted TX or RX operation.
Therefore, the rejected wireless communication module should not perform
the TX operation to avoid interference with another granted TX or RX
operation. On the contrary, the RX operation of the rejected PTA request
can receive data in an attempt and may fortunately obtain data when the
media is not very bad.

[0048] (3) The PTA module 17 may grant a PTA request and later take the
granted PTA request back when the granted TX or RX operation conflicts
with a newly coming PTA request with a higher priority PTA request. If
the rejected PTA request is for TX operation, the wireless communication
module stops the TX operation, referring to 35 of FIG. 3C. If the
rejected PTA request is for RX operation, the wireless communication
module freely decides whether to finish the RX operation, referring to 36
of FIG. 3D.

[0049] FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of a PTA request arbitration performed by
a PTA module according to an embodiment of the invention. In the
beginning, a PTA request R1 is received, where another PTA request R2 was
previously received (step S40). Next, it is determined whether the time
duration of the PTA request R1 overlaps with the time duration of another
PTA request R2 (step S41). If not, the PTA request R1 is granted and
recorded (step S45). If so, the PTA module 17 checks the TX/RX
information, band information and power levels of the PTA request R1 and
the PTA request R2 (step S42), and determines whether the PTA request R1
and the PTA request R2 will interfere with each other accordingly (step
S43). Although the durations of these two requests are overlapped, the
PTA request R1 and the PTA request R2 will not interfere with each other,
for an example, if the TX power level of a PTA request (may be PTA
request R1 or R2) is low enough, such as lower than -10 dBm, and the RX
power level of another PTA request is high enough, such as higher than
-30 dBm. Or, for another example, if the following conditions are
satisfied: the TX power level of a PTA request (may be PTA request R1 or
R2) is smaller than a predetermined value, such as 15 dBm, the RX power
level of another PTA request is greater than a predetermined value, such
as -30 dBm, and the frequency band of the PTA request R1 is separated
from the frequency band of the PTA request R2 by a predetermined value,
such as 20 MHz. If the conditions are satisfied, the PTA request R1 is
granted and recorded (step S45). If the conditions are not satisfied, the
PTA module 17 determines which of the PTA request R1 and the PTA request
R2 should be granted and which of the PTA request R1 and the PTA request
R2 should be rejected according to the global priority information of the
PTA request R1 and the PTA request R2 (step S44). Finally, the PTA module
17 grants the PTA request with higher priority and records the granted
PTA request (step S45).

[0050] FIG. 5 shows a flowchart performed by a wireless communication
module for performing the TX/RX operation in response to reply messages
from a PTA module according to an embodiment of the invention. In the
beginning, a wireless communication module receives a reply message that
is issued by a PTA module 17 in response to a PTA request previously
issued by the wireless communication module (step S50). Next, the
wireless communication module determines whether the reply message is a
grant message (step S51). If so (grant message), the wireless
communication module performs the TX/RX operation specified in the PTA
request (step S52). If not (rejection message), the wireless
communication module determines whether the PTA request is an RX
operation (step S53). If not (TX operation), the wireless communication
module doesn't perform the TX operation and postpones the TX operation
until the next PTA request is granted (step S54). If so (RX operation),
the wireless communication module may forcibly perform or not perform the
requested RX operation (step S55). Following the step S52, the wireless
communication module periodically determines whether the PTA module takes
the grant message back during the ongoing TX/RX operation (step S56). If
not, the wireless communication module continues the TX/RX operation as
usual until its completion (step S57). If so, the procedure proceeds to
step S53, wherein the wireless communication module determines whether
the PTA request is an RX operation. If not (TX operation), the wireless
communication module stops the ongoing TX operation (step S54). If so (RX
operation), the wireless communication module may forcibly continue the
remaining RX operation or stop the ongoing RX operation (step S55).

[0051] FIG. 6A-1 shows a diagram of an exemplary operation conflict
between a Bluetooth PTA request for transmitting Bluetooth packets 61a
and a WiMAX PTA request for receiving WiMAX MAP packets 61b according to
an embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 6A-1, the WiMAX PTA request comes
before the Bluetooth PTA request, and the PTA module 17 determines that
the time duration of the Bluetooth PTA request overlaps with the time
duration of the WiMAX PTA request. In this case, the transmission of
Bluetooth packets may interfere with the reception of WiMAX MAP packets,
so other factors are taken into consideration. Referring to FIG. 6A-2
which shows a proposed solution for solving the operation conflict
according to an embodiment of the invention, the PTA module 17 further
checks the TX power level specified in the Bluetooth PTA request, the RX
power level specified in the WiMAX PTA request, and the frequency band of
the two PTA requests, and determines that the condition stated in step
S43 is not satisfied. Therefore, the PTA module 17 determines that the
transmission of Bluetooth packets 61a will interfere with the reception
of WiMAX MAP packets 61b. Following, the PTA module 17 checks the global
priority information shown in Table 2 and determines that the WiMAX MAP
packets have the highest priority. Therefore, the Bluetooth PTA request
is rejected and its Bluetooth packets transmission 61a is postponed by a
period so that the reception of WiMAX MAP packets 61b will not be
interfered. Wherein, the Bluetooth packets transmission 61a can be
postponed by the PTA module 17 since the Bluetooth PTA request is a
periodic (3.75 millisecond) request.

[0052] FIG. 6B-1 shows a diagram of another exemplary operation conflict
among a Bluetooth PTA request for receiving Bluetooth packets 62a, a
WiMAX PTA request for downloading WiMAX packets 62b and a WiFi PTA
request for transmitting WiFi data packets 62c according to an embodiment
of the invention. In FIG. 6B-1, the WiMAX PTA request comes first,
followed by the WiFi PTA request and the Bluetooth PTA request. The PTA
module 17 then determines that the time duration of the WiFi PTA request
overlaps with the time duration of the Bluetooth PTA request and the
WiMAX PTA request. In this case, the transmission of WiFi data packets
62c may interfere with the reception of Bluetooth packets and the
downloading of WiMAX packets 62b, so other factors are taken into
consideration. Referring to FIG. 6B-2 which shows a proposed solution for
solving the operation conflict according to an embodiment of the
invention, the PTA module 17 further checks the TX power level specified
in the WiFi PTA request, the RX power level specified in the WiMAX and
Bluetooth PTA requests, the frequency band of the three PTA requests, and
determines that the condition stated in step S43 is not satisfied.
Therefore, the PTA module 17 determines that the transmission of WiFi
data packets 62c will interfere with the reception of Bluetooth packets
and the downloading of WiMAX packets 62b. Following, the PTA module 17
checks the global priority information shown in Table 2 and determines
that the WiFi data packets have lowest priority. Therefore, the WiFi PTA
request is rejected and its WiFi data packets transmission 62c is
postponed by the PTA module 17 until the reception of Bluetooth packets
62a and the downloading of WiMAX packets 62b are finished. In this
manner, the reception of Bluetooth packets 62a and the downloading of
WiMAX packets 62b will not be interfered.

[0053] FIG. 6C-1 shows a diagram of another exemplary operation conflict
between a Bluetooth PTA request for receiving Bluetooth packets 63b and a
WiMAX PTA request for uploading WiMAX packets 63c according to an
embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 6C-1, only the WiMAX PTA request is
presented at the beginning. Referring to FIG. 6C-2 which shows a proposed
solution for solving the operation conflict according to an embodiment of
the invention, even though only the WiMAX PTA request is present at the
beginning, the uploading of WiMAX packets 63c is still not granted. This
is because the PTA module 17 is able to determine the receipt of the next
Bluetooth PTA request 63b by the interval information specified in the
prior Bluetooth PTA request, as shown in FIG. 6A-1 or 6A-2 also. Based on
this, the PTA module 17 determines that the time duration of the current
WiMAX PTA request overlaps with the time duration of the next Bluetooth
PTA request to be received. In this case, the uploading of WiMAX packets
63c may interfere with the reception of Bluetooth packets 63b, so other
factors are taken into consideration. Next, the PTA module 17 further
checks the TX power level specified in the WiMAX PTA request, the RX
power level specified in the Bluetooth PTA request, the frequency band of
the two PTA requests, and determines that the uploading of WiMAX packets
63c will interfere with the reception of Bluetooth packets 63b.
Following, the PTA module 17 further checks the global priority
information shown in Table 2 and determines that the WiMAX packets have
lower priority. Therefore, the WiMAX PTA request is rejected before the
Bluetooth PTA request comes out. In this manner, the reception of
Bluetooth packets 63b that is going to take place will not be interfered.

[0054] FIG. 6D-1 shows a diagram of another exemplary operation between a
WiMAX PTA request for uploading WiMAX packets 64a and a WiFi PTA request
for receiving WiFi Beacon packets 64b according to an embodiment of the
invention. In FIG. 6D-1, the WiMAX PTA request comes before the WiFi PTA
request and the PTA module 17 determines that the time duration of the
WiFi PTA request overlaps with the time duration of the WiMAX PTA
request. In this case, the uploading of WiMAX packets 64a may interfere
with the reception of WiFi Beacon packets 64b, so other factors are taken
into consideration. Referring to FIG. 6D-2, the PTA module 17 further
checks the TX power level specified in the WiMAX PTA request, and the RX
power level specified in the WiFi PTA request, the frequency band of the
two PTA requests, and determines that the uploading of WiMAX packets 64a
will not interfere with the reception of WiFi Beacon packets 64b since
their frequency band separation is greater than 20 MHz. Therefore, the
PTA module 17 allows the uploading of WiMAX packets 64a and the reception
of WiFi Beacon packets 64b to be taken place simultaneously.

[0055] An embodiment of the PTA module may reject a PTA request for
another un-issued periodical PTA request that has a higher priority,
which can be predicted by the PTA module 17. For example, referring to
FIG. 7, a WiFi PTA request for TX operation comes prior to a second
Bluetooth PTA request not issued yet, and the WiFi PTA request is still
rejected because the PTA module 17 predicts the second Bluetooth PTA
request will be received according to the Interval field 28 specified in
the first Bluetooth PTA request.

[0056] While the invention has been described by way of example and in
terms of the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the
invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. To the contrary,
it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements
(as would be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope
of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so
as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.

Patent applications by Chi-Chen Lee, Taipei City TW

Patent applications by Hong-Kai Hsu, New Taipei City TW

Patent applications by Jiun Jang Su, Taipei City TW

Patent applications by Li-Chun Ko, Taipei City TW

Patent applications by MEDIATEK INC.

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